The topic of medical cannabis and children is a very sensitive subject. So sensitive, that it’s often difficult to even have a rational conversation with some people about it. It’s unfortunate because medical cannabis in certain forms can do wonders for certain conditions, especially epilepsy. I once heard a story about a child that suffered from an average of 300 epileptic seizures a month. When given whole plant, high CBD extract medicine, those seizures were reduced to 8 a month.
Opponents will try very hard to make it sound like parents want to get their kids stoned by rolling rolling them up some doobies and giving them lighters. It’s very frustrating because that couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are forms of cannabis that do not create euphoric effects. Kids can take them and be completely unaffected from an intoxication standpoint, which is something that can’t be said about some other forms of medicines. Instead of children being lethargic or debilitated, cannabis can help suffering children live fuller lives.
There’s a push in Connecticut to give children safe access to medical cannabis, which is way overdue. Per the Wall Street Journal:
Lawmakers in Hartford are weighing whether to allow people under the age of 18 to take part in Connecticut’s medical-marijuana program. Connecticut is the only state out of the 23 that have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes that doesn’t allow children some access, according to Americans for Safe Access, a medical-marijuana advocacy group. Unlike a similar proposal last year, the idea this year has the backing of a statewide pediatricians’ group.
The proposed legislation, which has bipartisan support and the backing of the Malloy administration, would permit minors with terminal illnesses, severe epilepsy or other debilitating conditions to use medical marijuana.
These are very sick children. In some cases, these are dying children. Why do they have to suffer when there’s something out there that can help? How could someone ever look at a child that is suffering and tell them that they can’t use a proven medicine because some politician thinks it’s a bad idea? Doctors should be making those decisions, and parents. Anyone who thinks otherwise lacks a heart.
